The Polish National Anthem - Mazurek Dąbrowski - has a rich heritage drawn from battles throughout Poland's history. It's 225 years since it was written by Józef Wybicki in northern...
July 31, 2021
"Stańcie do Apelu” - "stand for the roll call" always sends a shiver through my spine. The silence just before a soldier or scout reads this at 17.00 on the...
November 10, 2020
For those of us brought up on 11 listopada (11 November) concerts in which we were often on stage and attending obligatory patriotic masses, this day linked to Poland's regaining of...
November 10, 2017
Here's a few things every Pole should know about 11 November. Firstly, that it’s nothing to do with the UK Remembrance Day, it just happens to be on the same date!...
August 15, 2017
There are two reasons, history and tradition intertwined, linked to traditional culture, church and military. There's a holiday atmosphere to this day, re-established in 1992 and the flags are out...
June 28, 2017
Since 1928, the last weekend of June has been known as the Święto Marynarki Wojennej (Polish Navy Day). Although Morse Code is no longer used as an international standard for...
May 3, 2017
The 3rd of May celebrates the date of the first written constitution in Europe, in 1791 – the Polish constitution, naturally. My first memory of this significant date in our...